Do You Have Back Pain? The Surprising Thing Researchers Say to Do

All pain is bad, but if I had to pick a certain pain that tops the list of most awful--I'd pick back pain. If you've ever thrown out your back, you know. Interestingly enough, researchers believe they have a new solution for back pain sufferers--and it may surprise you...

****Ice packs, ibuprofen and the couch may be your remedy of choice (I've totally been there). But researches from the University of Alberta, who presented their findings recently at the American College of Sports Medicine conference in Seattle, say that the best way to beat back pain--especially lower back pain--is to exercise.

I know, work out with an aching back? Doesn't exactly sound like fun...

But, let's have an open mind: In their study of 240 men and women with chronic lower-back pain, those who exercised at least four days a week reported having a better quality of life and 28 percent less pain than those who worked out just one or two times per week.

The findings seem to draw a connection between strength training and reduced back pain. But working out when you're in pain seems to go against everything you ever thought about pain, doesn't it? The logic: "While it could be assumed that someone with back pain should not be exercising frequently, our findings show that working with weights four days a week provides the greatest amount of pain relief and quality of life," said Robert Kell, the study's lead author.

Bottom line: If you have a serious back injury, working out could make it worse. But if your pain is more regular in nature--something you deal with frequently--exercising more may improve the strength of your body so that the back pain subsides. Try it! Back pain runs in my family, so I will definitely be taking this advice.

Do you suffer from back pain? What's your back pain relief regimen? How do you deal?